1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to means for steadying loads suspended from aircraft.
2. Brief description of the p rior art
It is known that loads suspended from aircraft comprise as a rule tapped cavities engaged by correspondingly screw-threaded shanks formed integrally with suspension rings. The hooks carried by the supporting or jettisoning device engage these rings for actually carrying the load. Since these rings are aligned longitudinally, the loads tend to oscillate laterally under the influence of lateral accelerations or other aerodynamic effects, so that it is customary to steady these loads, when supported by the aircraft, by means of transverse bearing elements.
An arrangement generally employed to this end consists in utilizing four steadying or wedging screws engaging tapped orifices formed in four fixed bearing arms and clamping the load laterally.
This arrangement, although very efficient, has various drawbacks : in fact, the bearing arms are relatively heavy and the assembly including the four wedging or steadying screws is objectionable on account of its poor aerodynamic contour. On the other hand, the steadying operation proper requires the tightening of four screws.